


Sorrow Unfit For The Young

by chasethewind



Series: Dribbles and Drabbles [7]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Coping, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-01
Updated: 2013-12-01
Packaged: 2018-01-03 03:37:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1065299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasethewind/pseuds/chasethewind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The unexpected death of a loved one is never easy to deal with alone. She has him and that's all she needs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sorrow Unfit For The Young

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, what a night it’s been… This drabble needed to be written because my heart still hurts after hearing about Paul Walker’s death. What sucks worse is that it fell exactly six months after Tim, Paul and Carl died. Writing helps me cope, so this was the product of a long night of trying not to cry.
> 
> It’s mostly word vomit with no plot whatsoever, so please be kind.

He found her curled up on the bathroom floor, her knees to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around them with her face buried in the space between. Her muffled sobs echoed against the cold black marble tiles as she rocked back and forth, her glasses discarded on the floor beside her. Crumpled tissues were clasped tightly in her shaking hands.

“Felicity…” His voice was soft, comforting as he kneeled down beside her. Reaching out to place his hands over her shoulders, she looked up at him for a brief moment before turning her face back into her knees.

“Leave me alone!” she hoarsely cried before coughing out another sob.

His heart ached to see her like this, so sad, so broken. It was as if he was looking at the shell of the woman he knew. Her usually sunny demeanor was gone now, replaced by grief so deep it reached into his chest and pulled at his heart.

“Felicity, please,” he begged, trying to get her to open up, to talk about what had happened.

Just ten minutes ago, he’d been staring at her through the glass walls that separated their respective offices. Her cell phone had begun to ring and when she looked down at her caller ID, she’d smiled. Upon picking up the call, he saw the immediate change in her posture. Gone was the relaxed way in which she’d sunk into her chair. Her back had gone rigid as the smile on her face vanished.

The only word he could make out before her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes squeezed shut was “No…” That’s when her shoulders began to shake and she’d stood up, high-tailing it out of the office so fast he didn’t realize she was gone until the slam of the door knocked him back to his senses.

Whoever was on the other end of that phone call had just given her news she probably wasn’t expecting to hear. That was when he’d gone after her, looking to see if there was any way he could offer her comfort. It took him a while to find her, but there she was, curled up in the corner of the last stall in the women’s bathroom.

Reaching up to cup her cheek, he lifted her head slightly until it was no longer buried between her knees and saw the absolute devastation in her red-rimmed eyes. It sliced all the way down to the very depths of his soul, causing him to wrap his arms around her shoulders and haul her into his lap even as she protested.

“Shh, it’s okay… It’s okay…” he murmured into her golden locks until she finally gave up the struggle and sagged into his arms. He held her as she cried for the next hour, still not knowing what had happened to cause her this much agony.

When the tears subsided and her sobs turned into hiccups, he pulled her back by her shoulders and simply wiped away the trail of wet mascara that streamed down her cheeks. Her face was deep red from crying and her eyes were still brimmed with unshed tears. Small tremors fluttered through her body as she sat in his lap, her head leaning against his shoulder as her fingers wrapped tightly around his tie.

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked one more time, hoping she’d say yes but certain it would end up being a no. He understood, though, and wouldn’t push her if she did shut him down.

They continued to sit on the floor, her legs curled in his lap away from the cold tiles as he ran his fingers through her hair trying his best to ease her suffering. “He’s dead,” she whispered, sucking in a shaky breath before wiping her nose with another strip of toilet paper he’d handed her a few minutes earlier.

“Who?” he softly asked, his hands cupping the back of her head to lift it up so their eyes met.

“My… My… brother,” she choked out before breaking into sobs again. Her fingers sank into the lapels of his jacket, clinging to it for dear life as she buried her face in his neck.

He cradled her in his arms for another half hour, rocking her back and forth until she stopped crying again. By now, Diggle had entered the bathroom and was standing sentry outside the door, not allowing anyone in until they were ready to leave.

“I’m sorry, Oliver. I think you might have missed a few important meetings,” she rambled, lifting her head slightly.

“Meetings can be rescheduled. Making sure you’re okay after that kind of news… That can’t,” he softly replied, his fingers still stroking her cheeks as they finally locked eyes. Although he could still see the depth of her sadness in those red-rimmed pale blue pools, he also found gratitude just as deep.

“I want you to take the rest of the day off.” It was more of a command than a statement, and she nodded her head in agreement. “And, if need be, the rest of the week too; however long it takes. Go be with your family.”

“But…” She began to protest, but he shushed her by pressing his forefinger to her lips.

“Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I can take care of myself for a few days.”

She placed her hand over his and pulled it from her lips. “That’s not what I was going to say,” she replied. When his brow furrowed, she added, “I don’t know how to do this alone. Will you… Will you come with me?”

A smile barely touched the corners of his lips as he gazed down at her with soft blue eyes. “Of course,” he nodded. “Anything for you.”

She gave him a watery smile before extricating herself from his lap to stand on still-wobbly legs. His arms was around her waist a moment later, steadying her as they stepped out of the stall and towards the door. Before the left the relative safety of the bathroom, she glanced at herself in the mirror and paused, the look of horror spreading out across her face.

He tightened his arm around her waist, but she was pulling out of his grasp. “Can I have a minute?” she asked. She must have seen the questioning look in his eyes and said, “I just need to freshen up a little.” He nodded and left her alone, making sure to stand outside the door with Diggle just in case she needed.

Emerging a few minutes later with her face scrubbed free of the ruined makeup, he held out his arm to her and she tucked herself against his side. He didn’t care what people saw that afternoon as he walked her back into their office. All he cared about was the fragile woman wrapped around his side, still sniffling as he walked her to her chair and sat her down.

Slowly she gathered her things, placing them in the large bag she now carried around everywhere with her since it contained her tablet and anything else she might need for her job. Together they rode down the elevator, his hand coming to rest at the small of her back even as they exited on the ground floor and made their way through the lobby.

A car was waiting for them outside to take them to her apartment. As they sat in the relative silence of the backseat, her hand fell over his and gave it a light squeeze. “Oliver,” she said and he gazed over at her. “Thank you.” He saw the sincerity in her eyes and smiled.

“You’re welcome,” he replied, his palm turning up so he could lace his fingers with hers. “I’ll always be here for you.”

For the first time since hearing about her brother’s passing, she smiled at him; one of those genuine Felicity Smoak smiles that made him smile right back. Losing a family member was never easy. It was something he had firsthand experience with. It time, he knew she’d be okay. She was a strong woman, the strongest he’d ever known. Even though this was sorrow unfit for the young, he knew she’d be able to deal with it.

One way or another, she’d make it through this. She was his girl Wednesday after all.


End file.
